Sport Sheffield: Rebecca Bedford, Badminton

Sheffield is a hotbed for producing and nurturing some of the most exciting talents in global sport. The birthplace of Jessica Ennis-Hill – 2012 Olympic gold medallist – is now where you’ll likely find Anthony Joshua in training for his next big fight (whomever that may be against) after successfully overcoming Wladimir Klitschko in front of a post-war UK record crowd of 90,000.

Hollie Webb, a University of Sheffield graduate, scored the winning penalty to take gold for Team GB at Rio 2016. She was able to combine her studies in Economics with high-level training thanks to the Elite Sport Performance Scheme ran by the university, and is not the only one to have befitted from such a scheme. Over the coming weeks and months, we will be bringing you interviews with some of Sport Sheffield’s ESPS athletes and give you an insight into our proud partner’s programme which continues to help aspiring sportspeople financially, academically and personally.

First up to be interviewed is Rebecca Bedford. A para-badminton player for Team GB, she is able to combine her studies in History whilst performing at the top of her game largely thanks to the support that the scheme provides. We talked to her about the scheme itself and the benefits it has provided her with whilst being a member, as well as everything from travel to the other sports she trains for. Check out our video below:

Rebecca has travelled all over the world playing the sport that she loves, and is currently with Team GB in Canada for the World Dwarf Games 2017. We hope that she performs as well as she did in training when we popped down to see her, and can add to the catalogue of awards she has already received throughout her career.

We’re looking forward to bringing you more content from Rebecca’s peers. Each of the athletes that we’ll be filming have their own unique experience to tell regarding the scheme, and you’ll be able to learn more about the benefits of Sport Sheffield’s offerings over the mini-series.

To find out more about the Elite Sport Performance Scheme, click HERE.